It’s time to celebrate come on!

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The future is what we make it, and the consistently improving health situation on the Island is yet one more cause for just celebration, to go handin-hand with the festivals that Borneans missed out on for more than 2 years. Rich with personality and entertainment –the recent Irau Aco rice harvest festival celebrated by the Lun Bawang people, and the Iraw Tengkayu festival marked by the residents of Tarakan Island is certainly a sight to see.

With so many traditional and ceremonial garb worn by participants sporting an array of bright, vibrant hues, along with tribal designs and motifs, there is plenty for restless eyes to appreciate. And while the diversity in attire is plentiful, the item of clothing that caught the BiG Team’s interest in particular were the many different types of head gear adorning peoples’ heads. Whether they are black ‘songkoks’ made of felt, cotton or velvet with yellow embroidery, leathery brown cowboy hats, head sashes of vibrant batik silks, strings of tightly woven clay beads with enamel paints, cloth wraps with tall feathers, or even the iconic conical Rong Sia sunhats – just to note a few! – there is so much

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happening up top on the good old noggin.

So, before you move on with the rest of our offerings this issue, how about we play a little game? A quick test of your knowledge of festive Bornean headwear. The hats on display are worn by participants for both the Malaysian Irau Aco, and Indonesian Iraw Tengkayu festivals. Can you tell which hat you are most likely to see at which festival? Once you are done with guessing, flip this page upside down for the answers.

LETS PLAY A GAME

8: Irau Aco 7: Irau Aco 6: Iraw Tengkayu 5: Iraw Tengkayu 4: Irau Aco 3: Irau Aco 2: Iraw Tengkayu 1: Irau Aco

ANSWERS